Today’s scripture is a common Advent passage - a passage about a time when God called Israel to follow the path he laid out for them.

That path is still before us. Andy asks us to take it.

“Put aside the things that divide us, and take a good look at the road Jesus has for us.”

Isaiah 40:3-5

fmhouston.com

Luke 14 15-21

Amanda grew up with an open table - Thanksgiving was a time for all people, no matter how tangentially connected, to have a place.

It reminds her of the covenant God invited us to: to love each other as ourselves, and invite them to the table.

2 Samuel 1:9-10

fmhouston.com

Andy discusses the importance of making an invitation to others by pointing out the way Jesus did just that: he ate with every kind of person. His table was always open.

What’s a way that you could do the same?

Luke 22:7-20

Does anyone really believe we can have world peace?

Kristen sums up our Missions series by exploring the many meanings of the word “shalom” in our world, and showing us what true peace on earth would really look like.

Isaiah 9:6

When William Shatner went to space, it left Andy thinking about what it’s like to get a true overview of the world, and what God is doing in it.

Those things need action behind them. Andy talks about the ways God is calling us to take His hand and walk forward with Him in faith.

John 17:20-23

fmhouston.com

As we kick off this year’s missions series, Amanda emphasizes God’s requirement for us to take action in order to bring justice to the world. We are to invite the world in to experience what we are experiencing, to discover grace and mercy.

fmhouston.com

As we spend one more week closely looking at the Lord’s Prayer, Jordan talks about the way the prayer continues to look different to us each time we look at it.

Prayer is an act of faith, but it is also work - good, faithful work.

God needs us to be Kingdom-bringers. And the holiest work we can do is ask for God to bring His Kingdom down.

fmhouston.com

On a recent trip to a prayer labyrinth, Amanda couldn’t find the answers she was looking for. And so she had to surrender and hand everything over to God - and God met her there.

When Amanda looks at the Lord’s Prayer, she is reminded of the how we often ask God to sprinkle blessings on top of what we’re doing, instead of seeking God’s kingdom.